Milestone Institue

Milestone Institute is an international center of advanced education, which inspires talented Hungarian students in their quest for academic excellence and their passion for leadership. Located in the heart of Budapest, the Institute builds on a vision of Hungary as ready to step out from the shadows of the last century. Milestone’s Knowledge Port strategic plan for 2020 seeks the opportunities to build a community of agents of transformation; a network of intellectuals, scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs who are ready to act as catalysts of change along democratic and egalitarian principles in order to transform Hungary into a country known for contributing pioneering solutions to the principal challenges of the 21st century.

‘According to my understanding the objective of the Institution is value creation and sensitization on the long run, as well as helping Hungarian students to follow their higher education studies abroad. An important message conveyed by them is that they teach the students to remain attached to Hungary, no matter where they end up living, and to feel responsible for the other members of society, and for their own country.

An excerpt of and article that confirms my opinion: “the most important thing is the sensitization of society. Each of our students who gets the possibility to study abroad at one of the top universities, has to be aware of the fact that it is a privilege that comes with responsibility. Children from the slums don’t go to Oxford, not because they are lazy or stupid. We have to make them realize this with the help of the most complete range of tools possible. We think that a few years spent in an excellent institution abroad is very important regarding the personal development of a future intellectual, but it is equally important to belong to a community here at home. This is how the inner drive develops to create something of value during their adult life also in Hungary…Through Milestone there is a continuous connection, that will always make Hungary stay important for them. They don’t necessarily have to live in the country, one can remain attached in other ways. Some invest, senddonations, commute from among the members of the intellectual circle that graduate abroad. I don’t think that it is so radical, that we lose all who leave the country…Our task is to plant into peoples head the desire to help and invest also in Hungary in the future. We do not even have to worry about this until they reach the age of 35, until this age let them construct themselves, let them travel, accumulate experiences. We suppose that one day the feeling will arise, the gratitude for their success and they will pose the question: What is it, that I can give? And while responding to this inner drive they will certainly realize that it can be a much greater adventure than fishing on a Californian yacht’